Fight-Or-Flight
by OceanSpiral
Summary: After being lured into the depths of a condemned and disused Battle Zone, a group of trainers find themselves at the mercy of a mad professor's experiment into the extremes of human behaviour. Trapped in some of the harshest terrain in all Sinnoh, the trainers are left with a staggering ultimatum. Fight your way out or be left for dead. Do whatever you need to survive.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

It was nearing midnight. Weary from the day's work, Dr James Glennon hesitated outside the private office he had spent the better part of half an hour trying to find in the bowels of the Solomon Research facility. The building was constructed like a maze, with four floors of interlocking corridors. If he didn't know better, Glennon would swear the corridors and floors rearranged themselves in the dead of night just to confuse the people working there.

Perhaps that was why his boss liked this institute so much, he thought. He always did seem like a man who enjoyed confusing people. While Glennon had never experienced any personal interaction with the man he worked for, his reputation as one of the most intelligent men Sinnoh had ever produced had well preceded him. Whispers among his colleagues had the boss pinned as volatile and unpredictable and someone who should not be crossed under any circumstances.

His hand hovered in mid-air by the door as he tried to steady his nerves. While it was true that the boss was an intimidatingly smart man with more degrees than some people had had hot dinners, a degenerative disease and a host of illnesses in his later life had left him crippled and, if you were to believe the rumours, highly mentally unstable.

His knuckles rapped on the door almost like they possessed a will of their own. A thin voice, so weak that Glennon almost missed it, bid him to enter. He slipped in and found the room entirely drenched in darkness. Not even able to see a hand in front of his face, he only dared take a few steps forward in fear of falling or walking into something.

"Sir?" His voice sounded pathetically shaky and he cringed, hoping he wasn't coming across as too nervous. "It's… it's, uh… it's Glennon from the technical department."

The reply was slow in coming, so much so that Glennon stammered out his statement again in the worry that his boss had not heard him. The boss's reply was weak and rasping, like it could be swallowed up by the stagnant air and entirely consumed. "What do you want?"

"I'm here to give a progress report, uh… sir," he replied as smartly as he could.

The boss grunted impatiently and Glennon quickly launched into the speech he had spent most of the past ten minutes rehearsing in his head. "Well, sir, I've received word from one of the Directors. I'm happy to report that everything has been taken care of, sir. The letters have all been sent out."

"Every one?"

"Yes, sir. Over three hundred sent out to the six regions you specified. It is possible we could expect responses as early as the day after tomorrow."

"Excellent."

A mechanical whirring broke the uneasy silence and after a moment, the large drapes covering the farthest away window fell away and revealed the night sky. The moon was nothing more than a delicate sliver hanging lazily in a flawless sky, like it was suspended on a puppet string. It shone a gentle light onto the cluttered floor and Glennon noticed various books and papers strewn everywhere. A rattling noise caught his attention and Glennon managed to pick out the shape of the wheelchair his boss depended on for his everyday movement. He manoeuvred himself towards the window, which was so big it encompassed most of the wall, and came to a stop.

"Glennon, was it?"

Glennon jumped at the unexpected address. "Uh… yes, sir."

"Come here."

Glennon obediently moved closer. Too reluctant to make eye contact, he simply stood by the boss's hunched over figure. "Yes, sir?"

"It's a beautiful view, Glennon. Isn't it?"

"Yes, sir. Quite beautiful." Glennon replied, trying to ignore the feeling that his boss had just given him a statement as opposed to asking a question.

The boss was right though. The view was stunning. The Solomon Research Institute had been built snugly into the base of a large, balding cliff and from their position on its top floor, they had the perfect seat for gazing at the many beaches they overlooked. Glennon had often felt that the island would make an ideal backdrop for a modest resort area. Thankfully for the research staff of Callosum Inc., Solomon Island was almost entirely undisturbed by tourists. The island had long since faded into obscurity after the closure of its only other attraction.

The Solomon Island Battle Zone had once been hailed as a true test of a Pokémon trainer's strength, intuition and endurance, had been condemned and closed after a string of fatal accidents. Now it lay overrun and forgotten. To this day, it remained almost impenetrable; fenced off from the Institute and the rest of the island by a protective alcove of high cliffs. Its expansive and varied terrain could prove troublesome for even the most experienced of trainers. Several rivers snaked down from a mountainous zone towards the far west that culminated into a huge lake that sat neatly in the centre of it all. Rumours had once been rampant about a live volcano hidden somewhere among the mountains but no-one had ever found any evidence of it. On the eastern side of the island was a punishing desert frequently ravaged by unpredictable sandstorms. Shells of old ruins were sometimes reported in the distance on a clear day, but no-one knew exactly what they used to be.

The wheelchair bound man twitched his lips in what should have been a smile as he gazed out at the distant Battle Zone. "Too bad. It looks like rain," he commented idly, despite the fact the sky was unblemished and clear.

"…sir?" Glennon questioned, frowning.

The man chuckled. "Nothing. Nothing at all."

Glennon shifted from foot-to-foot. "Well, sir… If there's nothing else?"

"Yes, yes, you run along and attend to your duties, Glennon. But before you go, please call the Callosum Directors to my office. We have some details to finalise."

"Yes, sir. Right away, sir."

Glennon hurried away and left the wheelchair bound man alone. By the time the Callosum Directors came to the office, dark clouds had swept across the sky and a light scattering of rain began to fall across the entire of Solomon Island. He listened to its steady downpour and smiled.

* * *

The letter came for her that morning.

At first, it lay abandoned on the mat along with a rent invoice, several bills, a pamphlet from some company she had never heard of boldly claiming it could 'save you hundreds on your car and home insurance!' and the monthly appeal from the Pokémon Protection Agency for donations and volunteers. The stack of letters wasn't an unusual thing. Normally, the mail would lie unopened for weeks until the pile resembled something like the Lumiose City phonebook, leaving her no choice but to reluctantly sift through them.

This morning, however, she was alerted to the mail's arrival by an incessant chiming from the front door. Her Chimecho hovered above the pile of letters, waggling his long tail and crying for attention as she stumbled, bleary-eyed, from her bedroom.

"What you got there, Beau?" she mumbled sleepily.

"Chime-Chime!" he trilled, indicating a thick white envelope lying neatly on top of the pile.

There was something different about this letter; not like the usual nonsense that was rammed through the door. For starters, her name was written as Rebecca Taylor and not simply Becky like most people called her, it had been printed in careful sloping black ink and had been stamped with a Sinnoh postmark. She picked it up and for a brief moment, the faint smell of seaweed baking in hot air tickled her nostrils.

She clumsily edged the envelope open and unfolded the letter.

"_Dear Trainer,_

_Congratulations! You have been selected to attend the illustrious and exclusive "Pokémon Training and You: What Happens Next?" seminar to be held on Solomon Island in the Sinnoh Region._

_This event is tailored to give trainers who have been successful in their Pokémon training career advice and assistance in their future. Recent research from Goldenrod University has claimed that 37% of Pokémon trainers never achieve more than an entry level job after concluding their training career and only 11% choose a Pokémon related profession in later life. The people of Callosum Inc. and Pokémon Training and You! want to change this. _

_We aim to provide you with the opportunity to meet others in the same situation and teach you how to transfer the experiences and skills you have amassed in your years as Pokémon trainers into the real world. Should you choose to attend this event, you will benefit from the wisdom of our guest speakers, which included current and ex-Champions, Gym Leaders and Battle Frontier winners. These guest speakers will deliver a series of exciting and informative lectures and workshops on what can await you after a successful Pokémon training career. _

_ The itinerary is as follows:_

_09:00 AM: Registration and welcome_

_09:15 AM: Introductory lecture from the President of "Pokémon Training and You!"_

_10:00 AM: "After the Elite Four: What You Need to Know" - Lecture from current Kalos League Champion Diantha._

_10:30 AM: Mid-morning break_

_11:00 AM: "Pokémon and Politics" – A guest lecture from the chair of the Pokémon Protection Agency_

_11:45 AM: "Going into Gym Leading?" – Lecture delivered by ex-Gym leader Byron of Canalave City. _

_12:30 PM: Lunch break_

_13:30 PM: Workshop – Are my Pokémon training skills transferable to the real world? _

_15:00 PM: "Finding Frontier Fame" – Lecture from ex-Battle Frontier Champions_

_15:45 PM: "Pokémon and Psychology" – Guest lecture from Professor H. A. Goldberg, PhD. _

_16:30 PM: "How Pokémon Training Got Me the Job of My Dreams" – Lecture delivered by Miss J. Laughton whose Pokémon training skills ensured her a top job in Moore and More Industries, Kanto's top manufacturer of luxury trainer goods._

_17:00 PM: Concluding words. _

_Should you wish to attend this event, please complete the personal information slip on the second page of this document and post it directly to the address shown by no later than Friday 17__th__ May, 2019. Directions and further information will be arranged once your attendance slip has been received._

_We look forward to seeing you there._

_Kind regards,_

_President T. Jackson of Pokémon Training and You!_

_Professor H. A. Goldberg and the staff of Callosum Inc._

Initially, she yawned her way through the letter and skimmed over the majority of the words. Her first instinct was to scrunch it up into a ball and collapse back into bed for a few more hours. However, when she went to stuff it into the bin, Beau made such an unholy racket in protest that she decided against it. The instincts of a Psychic Pokémon should never be ignored, that much she was certain of. It was only that knowledge that made her sit down at the kitchen table with a cup of milky coffee and the letter to read it again.

With the benefits of caffeine, the letter began to make sense. In fact, the more she read it, the more she was intrigued by it. An event scheduled just for Pokémon trainers to teach them how to use their skills for what most people called the 'real world', a place most Pokémon trainers didn't concern themselves with. Pokémon trainers lived in a perpetual bubble most of the time, she felt. Often, they forgot things like taxes and jobs even existed. Pokémon training was as worthwhile a venture as ever, but it simply wasn't practical to depend on it as a vocation for the rest of your life.

She stared at the names of the events sponsors. She recognised T. Jackson of "Pokémon Training and You!". He was pretty much a household name. As the head of the largest and most successful Pokémon corporation known to man, barely a day went by when he wasn't on the television for interviews or to plug the various trainer guides he had written over the years. The name Professor H. A. Goldberg was unfamiliar to her so she wasted no time in pulling up an internet search on him. She found several psychological journal articles dating back to the late nineties about the effect of Pokémon companionship on wound healing, but nothing that would hint as to why he was involved in an event like that one.

She left it at that and read the letter over again. There was one event that caught her eye. "Going into Gym Leading?" delivered by ex-Gym Leader Byron. Gym Leading was always something she had deliberated over as she got older. She was the first to admit that there was precious little to do after getting bored of the same old routine of beating Gym circuits and leagues. Unless you were a fanatic, most Pokémon trainers either faded into obscurity, got married or went back to the grind of school or work after a few years. None of those options suited her. Becoming a Gym Leader was almost a guarantee of being able to support yourself and any family and partners that came along, while still maintaining a lifestyle and passion.

She signed the back of the slip in her messy scrawl.

"**Name – **Becky Taylor

**Date of Birth – **4th February, 1998.

**Place of Residence – **Azalea Town, Johto.

**Trainer Accolades – **Beaten Johto, Hoenn, Kanto and Sinnoh Gym Circuits. Johto Battle Frontier Champion 2017-2018.

**RSVP – **Yes."

And for a few days, she forgot all about it.

* * *

**Author's Note**

**Well, this is an eventuality I never saw coming xP**

**That's right! I'm back! After my relationship with my boyfriend broke down over Christmas, I found I needed a creative outlet. That, and I have a 9,000 word creative writing dissertation to do in April so I needed to be nudged back into the habit of writing routinely and consistently. I figured a good way to get me back into that habit would be fanfiction =)**

**I decided against continuing along with my other fanfictions as my writing style has been influenced somewhat and I wouldn't feel right continuing an old project as the difference would be glaringly obvious xP So instead, I'm here with this new fic. I expect it to be a lot darker than things I've written. It's likely going to be gory and dark and will have a fair amount of character death. So yeah; wee bit different from what you're used to with me xP**

**I'm not altogether sure I still have any relevance in the Pokemon community any more and I can't really guarantee regular updates because of university crap, but if you're willing to give this a read and follow along with it, I'd be seriously grateful =)**

**Thank you all so much =)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

"_Introducing our new half-price sale! For one week only, all luxury branded Pokegear and fashions have a massive 50% off! Come on down today to stores in Saffron City to claim this amazing, one time only discount! And remember! Use Moore, Get More!"_

The familiar jingle of the Moore and More industries rang out cheerily in the Vermillion City terminal, much to the displeasure of one of its occupants. The young man, tired from his long travel from Celadon City that morning, found himself glancing at the clock every few minutes. He surveyed the bland surroundings with dull resentment as he tried to tune out the noisy chatter of the other passengers and whatever flashy advert was on the television now. He fished around for his wallet and pulled out the orange and red ticket that had been slipped through his letterbox only a few days earlier.

"_One way single to: Solomon Island, Sinnoh. _

_Valid only from Vermillion City. Date: 24__th__ May, 2019. Time: 11:30AM_."

He had presented this ticket to a bemused staff member who had sheepishly admitted she had never heard of such an island before and suggested that perhaps there had been some sort of printing error? When he insisted there had been no such thing, she had tittered nervously and stammered that she had other customers to serve and for him to contact his ticket provider to resolve his problem. Despite his best efforts and demands to see the manager, he had come away empty handed and no closer to an answer. He had resigned himself to one of the hideous orange chairs in frustration and spent some time wondering if perhaps this whole thing was some sort of scam after all.

"_And remember! Use Moore, Get More!_"

"Ugh, again?" he groaned as the ostentatious logo for Moore and More Industries was plastered across the television screen in yet another of their irritating adverts. "Everyone in Kanto knows that stupid catchphrase, why do they feel the need to broadcast it all the damn time?"

Talking to himself had always been a bad habit of his and one that had often netted him more than his fair share of trouble. Today was no different. Upon hearing him speak, a young woman who had been sitting nearby pricked her head up. She quickly gathered her things and shuffled several seats closer.

"Hey, wanna know something?" Her voice was hushed, like she was about to impart some great secret to him.

He remained quiet, not even lifting his head up in the young woman's direction. While other women may have been insulted, her response was to move closer and happily settle herself in the seat right beside him. A grin eased its way across her face. "I think the only reason they're even having that big sale is because they're in competition with that new budget place that's opened in Goldenrod."

"Hmm."

His disinterest did little to deter the young woman, who nodded her head so enthusiastically that the auburn pigtails either side of her head bounced up and down. "Yeah. I think it's called… Gray's… uh… Something-Or-Other."

The young man couldn't help but smirk. "Original name."

"No, that's not its name, silly!" the young woman giggled. "I can't quite remember its real name right now."

"Useful."

"But, I think they're doing a really good thing!" she said brightly. "That new business, I mean. People can't afford luxury items nowadays. I had a cousin that had one of the Moore and More designer Berry Bags. It fell apart the first time her Growlithe chewed on it! And she spent almost sixty dollars on it. Waste of money, I say."

"You say a lot of things."

"Yep! I do talk a lot! But hey, what's wrong with talking to a stranger at a ferry terminal?"

"The way you say that makes it sound like it's something illegal. And besides, you're the one doing most of the talking. I'm just waiting for a ferry."

"Well, duh, that's what you do in a ferry terminal!" she giggled. Ignoring how the young man rolled his eyes, she poked his arm gently. "So… where ya going?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"Just curious," she said with a shrug. "Oh, wait a minute. Might be a bit of a long shot, but… are you maybe one of the people heading to that seminar thingy on Solomon Island?"

Finally, he lifted his head up to acknowledge her. "And what if I was?" he replied, sweeping away a few strands of coal-black hair that had escaped from under his grey beanie hat.

"Well, I'd be saying 'what a coincidence, cos I'm heading there too'." She leant forward, her grin widening. "I'm Millie, by the way. Millie McFarlane. And you are?"

She thrust her hand out and looked at him with a demanding expectancy. He rolled his eyes but politely grasped her hand in return. "Liam Coleman."

"Good to meet you! You know, I was worrying I might have been the only person stupid enough to agree to go to this thing. I'm glad to meet someone else in the same boat," she stopped for a brief moment and then let out a shriek of laughter. "Aaah! 'The same boat'! Did you see what I did there?"

Liam waited in mild irritation until she stopped roaring with laughter. "Well, assuming the boat ever appears…" he sighed, straightening his back against the hard chair. "The woman at the desk didn't have a clue what I was talking about when I gave her my ticket and the boat's supposed to leave in…" he consulted his watch. "…half an hour, give or take?"

"Hmm…" Millie caressed her chin thoughtfully. "Well… how about we go down to the pier instead?"

"The pier?"

"Well, yeah." She shrugged and readjusted a Beautifly hairpin that kept her sweeping fringe from her dark eyes. "Someone who works there may be able to tell us something."

"Worth a shot," Liam grunted as he pushed himself to his feet.

He followed Millie somewhat reluctantly outside into the warm air. She was comically shorter than he was, meaning he could see clean over her head as she skipped towards the pier. He wrinkled his nose and recoiled at the smell of sun-baked seaweed and salt that lay heavy and thick in the air. A gaggle of trainers had gathered by the pier's edge and were talking animatedly amongst themselves. Several of them clutched the same orange and red ticket Liam had received in his correspondence letter. Millie pushed her way through the crowd, taking advantage of her slim build, and swapped the occasional "You here for the ferry to Solomon Island?" with a few faces to confirm. She was deceptively fast and by the time Liam caught up with her, she was leaning over the rusted railings bordering the pier's edge.

He thoroughly debated just leaving her to her own devices in the hope of getting away from her, but she turned her head back at just the right time to spot him. "Ah, Liam!" she beamed. "Look! We're in the right place!"

Liam groaned. "Yes, I can see that…"

"I'm glad we made it," she stepped higher up on the railings and stared down at the lapping water. She looked in danger of toppling over into its murky depths at any given moment. Despite his better instincts, he approached the edge of the pier and leant against the railings next to her.

"It is convenient, yes."

"I guess it sorta makes sense they wouldn't advertise it in the terminal," Millie said, absent-mindedly dropping a couple of pebbles into the water and watching the ripples blossom across its surface. "It is a private crossing. Can't have just anyone trying to wander on."

"They'd still need a ticket to get on board."

"Oh yeah…" she said, dropping another pebble and giggling at the _plonk _it made. "I guess I forgot about that."

Liam sighed and hoped she wouldn't keep talking. Thankfully, she was too preoccupied with dangling herself over the railings to pay attention to anything else. Even when a series of Pokémon battles ignited between some of the waiting trainers, she was too transfixed by the scenery to watch them. Liam kept a careful eye on the battles as they progressed. Privately, he didn't think much of the skills the trainers were displaying.

The ferry, charmingly named _Gemini Dreamer,_ eventually chugged into view shortly before half past eleven. It took a sharp blast of the ship's horn for Millie to notice it had docked. While Liam cringed, experiencing a bizarre case of second-hand embarrassment at being associated with her ditziness, she seemed rather amused by her own lack of insight. She skipped onto the ferry with little worry while Liam trudged behind her, half entertaining the thought of 'missing' the last step on-board and plummeting into the water below.

The interior of the ferry exuded luxury. It was bright and airy, the decorations adorning the moss-green walls gleaming with good taste. The whole thing was evidently the product of a well-trained eye and a hefty expenditure. A quick glance at the map of the ship showed Liam there were three decks on the impressive liner. Entertainment sources varied from a swimming pool on the lowest deck, a spa and fitness centre to a reinforced battlefield perfect for friendly tournaments. The middle deck was exclusively cabins and dining areas as well as a collection of shops. It seemed a great deal of unnecessary fuss and expense, Liam privately thought, as he handed over his ticket to a uniformed steward and bowed into the closest available lounge.

The Lanturn Lounge was one of several Pokemon themed lounges found around the liner. This one was filled with soft blue beanbags and squashy sofas, the powder blue walls lined with vanity lights and seascape photographs. A small café was seated snugly in the corner and a line had already formed for the various juices and hot drinks on sale. Liam sunk into one of the sofas, pulled his feet up under his legs and let out a deep exhale. He had just closed his eyes, content with the peace and quiet, when a loud giggle startled him. He looked up and saw a beaming Millie. He had hoped to somehow lose her in the sprawling maze of the ship, but no such luck. She plonked herself down in the seat next to him, making the whole sofa tremble with the force.

He raised an eyebrow. "Millie, don't you have somewhere you'd rather be?"

"Nope!"

Liam groaned as she shrugged her backpack from her shoulders and dumped it onto the floor. It was a surprisingly large backpack, dwarfing her slim back easily. She rummaged through it and after a brief search, came up with a sewing kit and a suspicious looking blue… _thing _that he couldn't identify on first sight. It took some careful inspection to realise it was a handmade Azurill plushie. 'Rustic' was the best way Liam could describe it, with its misshapen, lumpy body, wiry tail and a face completely devoid of any eyes. In fact, with its unsymmetrical features and empty, gaping mouth it looked like a rejected prop from a horror film. Liam watched as Millie threaded a needle and began haphazardly stitching eyes onto it. It was a strangely compelling act to watch and Liam didn't even notice as the last of the passengers boarded. As the ferry rumbled into life, a voice cracked over the intercom.

"_Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. Welcome to this private crossing to Solomon Island. This ferry is scheduled to arrive in Olivine City in approximately eight hours where it will dock to collect additional passengers. From then, travel will commence overnight to Sinnoh. We estimate arrival at Solomon Island to be just before 8am. For your comfort and safety on board this vessel, we have several restaurants, bars, battle facilities and cabins available on—" _

Liam stopped listening at this point. He tipped the brim of his hat over his eyes, leant against the sofa's plush back and drifted into a pleasant daydream. His intention was never to sleep, but soon he felt its comforting distortion spread over him. He relaxed his limbs and welcomed it.

He had just slipped into the warm beginnings of sleep when a loud squeal punctured his hazy consciousness. He snapped his eyes open and sat up, his arms flailing clumsily. The source of the scream was obviously Millie and when he turned to her, found her rigid in her seat and staring in horror at the blue plushie in her hands.

"Millie, what's—"

"I did it wrong!" she wailed, shoving the Azurill plushie into his face.

"I can't see it that close up…" he growled, pushing it back to get a better view. Now at a safe distance, he could see that the wonky Azurill plushie sported what looked like one giant eye in the middle of its face. "Oh…" he spluttered with badly concealed laughter. "It… uh… it looks like it's had some kind of nasty accident."

"He's cross-eyed!" she howled.

"I think that's the least of his problems…"

Millie moaned in a tortured manner and started the process of unpicking the plushie's messy face. Liam watched her, wincing every time she stabbed the overstuffed plushie with the needle. It was more like watching a particularly grim surgery than anything else. He watched her pick at the messy stitching with all the skill and competency expected of a Mamoswine doing the same job.

Curiosity soon got the better of him. "Why an Azurill?"

"Why not?" she replied, her little pink tongue peeping out from the corner of her mouth as she concentrated. "Oh!" she sat up a little straighter, beaming. "That's actually a great idea! I've been wondering what to make next. Thank you!"

Liam frowned, wondering if he had just missed a massive chunk of the conversation without noticing. "What are you talking about?"

"A Wynaut plushie, of course," she said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "After I finish the Azurill, I'll do a Wynaut. I bet that would be tons easier."

"… you haven't been sewing very long, have you?"

A faint blush tickled Millie's cheeks. "Ahhh, is it that obvious?"

Liam chuckled and pulled his hat back over his eyes. "Well, you have fun with that. I'm going back to sleep."

"Heyyy, you didn't answer my question!" Millie cried.

"I'm sleeping."

"But… but… you're talking to me right now!"

"No, I'm not."

"But—!"

"Sleeping." He said firmly and went silent.

Millie stared at the slow rise and fall of his chest, not quite sure what had just happened. "Liam? Liaaaam? Hey!" she shook his arm slightly. "Are you really asleep? Liam? Liam!" she rattled his arm even harder. "Awww… Come on! Nobody falls asleep that fast…" she whined, collapsing back into the chair.

She picked up the now rather botched plushie, sighed, and continued to work.

* * *

Liam felt he had only closed his eyes for a few minutes when he felt a jolt of pain ricochet through his right arm. Letting out a yowl that would rival a scalded Meowth, he sat bolt upright in his seat, almost falling off in the process. Millie was perched innocently at the edge of her seat, but the needle in her hands proved a dead giveaway.

"Millie! Did you just _stab _me?" he demanded. "What the hell—"

"Liam, I'm hungry," she quickly intercepted.

He blinked. "What am I supposed to do about that?"

"Will you come to one of the restaurants with me?"

Liam stared at the young woman in bewilderment. "No. Go on your own." He told her flatly.

"No, I don't wanna go by myself!" she clutched at his sleeve and clung tightly.

"You're a big girl. You can go on your own." He said, swiftly unhooking her.

"No, I can't."

"Yes, you can."

"Can't, can't, can't!" she protested, beating her fists into his knees.

"Can, can, can!" he insisted, just as childishly. "And that hurts, stop it."

"Sorry…" she murmured, looking dejected.

Liam sighed. "Look, Millie… How old are you anyway?"

"Twenty four."

"T-twenty-_four_?" he stammered in shock.

"Yeah. Why is that so hard to believe?"

"Oh… no reason…" he said noncommittally, unable to believe that this wide-eyed, tiny ball of hyperactivity and innocence could possibly be two years his senior. As he pondered this, a low grumbling in his stomach and the knowledge he hadn't eaten since breakfast that morning made him seriously think about reconsidering Millie's offer.

"Please come and get food with me, Liam?" she begged, after several silent minutes passed. "I'll be your best friend?"

By now his stomach was loudly protesting the lack of food and he found himself giving in, despite her cheesy pleas. "Alright, alright, fine. I'll come to a restaurant with you."

"Ah, you will? Yay!"

She was on her feet and hauling him up within seconds. She was surprisingly strong for such a little thing, Liam thought, and as she dragged him by the hand towards the nearest restaurant, he had to exercise very little effort to get there. The restaurant she chose, imaginatively titled _The Bite_, boasted homemade favourites for a relatively decent price so Liam was happy enough to part with what little money he had. They sat at one of the smaller tables near to the windows overlooking the pool deck, Liam with a plate of stew and Millie with a grilled fillet of Magikarp and vegetables.

"We should be arriving in Johto in a few hours," Millie piped up.

"I imagine this boat will be getting a lot busier then. That'll be entertaining." Liam said, patiently mopping up some gravy with a giant hunk of bread.

"Sure will." Millie said brightly.

Her gaze then shifted to look out the window. The deck below was almost empty aside from a few Water Pokemon frolicking in the pool, but Millie was staring at it like it was the most interesting thing on earth. Despite the amount of fuss she had made about getting something to eat, she had requested a tiny portion of the lightest thing from the menu and had eaten no more than a few mouthfuls. The Azurill plushies she had been working on sat idly on the sear beside her. It now had two eyes, which Liam felt could only be a good thing, even if one was disproportionately bigger than the other.

They continued their meal in silence. By the time Liam had swallowed down every last morsel, Millie still had a large chunk of fish and several vegetables lying on her plate.

"It's like an adventure, isn't it?"

Her voice was so quiet that Liam almost didn't pick up on the fact she was speaking. Even then, the question seemed so vague and distant that he didn't quite know how to answer it. In the end, he simply shrugged his shoulders. "I guess so, yeah."

"I have to admit, I thought I'd never go back to Pokémon training again." Millie laid her knife and fork down and rested her head on her hand. "Being here, going to Solomon Island and getting to find out what we can do with what we spent all those years working towards… it's kinda like starting all over again."

"I suppose that's one way you could look at it."

Millie smiled again, but it was such a small smile that it took Liam quite by surprise. Such a tiny smile seemed unbefitting of her. He cleared his throat again. "So… you never thought you'd go back to training?"

"Nope. I stopped not long after my twenty first birthday. I've been working in a nursery for the past couple of years."

"Why did you stop?"

Millie hesitated. She picked up her fork again and pushed the flakes of uneaten fish around her plate. "Well, I lost someone. Someone very dear to me."

"Oh, I… I see." Liam stammered, feeling uncomfortable. "I'm sorry."

"Oh, no worries." She lifted her head up and caught his gaze unflinchingly. "Three years is a long time, you know? I'm just glad I'm here now."

She was smiling more brightly now and for some reason, it relaxed Liam. "Yep, you're right." He said, reaching out for her plate. "Uh, you finished with that?"

"Yeah."

He stacked the plates neatly on top of one another and settled them on the tray for one of the restaurant workers to collect. "Come on. Let's go back to the lounge."

"Okay!" Millie trilled, getting to her feet. "Hey, if it's alright with you, can I show you the other plushies I made?"

Liam felt himself deflate slightly. "Oh? And what other plushies have you made?"

"Oh, Mareep, Sentret, Teddiursa, Swablu, Solosis aaaand… what was the other one? Oh yeah! Slugma!"

"…Slugma?"

"Yeah! It's cute!"

"If you say so," he chuckled.

The two unlikely companions departed the restaurant and returned to their spot in the Lanturn Lounge. It was much quieter now, most of the other trainers either asleep or wrapped up in whatever handheld entertainment they had brought with them to stave off the boredom on the long journey. As the ferry chugged merrily on towards the shores of Johto, Liam was 'treated' to a makeshift puppet show courtesy of the various lumpy plushies Millie had sewn together.

Not much could be said about Millie's plot other than it was 'imaginative', telling the story of Princess Solosis who was kidnapped by the evil all-singing, all-dancing Sir Teddiursa and his devoted Lady Mareep who planned on stealing an orb to flood the world with Magikarp. Prince Sentret was sent to retrieve the princess, but his arrogant nature meant he was carried off by a feminist Swablu to a castle far far away to become her househusband. In the end, the villain's 'assistant' Slugma saved the princess but she decided not to marry him because he burned her every time they touched. The show ended with what should have been a touching speech about how women don't need men to complete themselves, but Millie was quickly distracted when all the stuffing spontaneously fell out of Princess Solosis. Liam was ready to poke his eyes out with a pair of Millie's needles himself by the time it was over, but he couldn't deny it made the time pass quicker. He found himself inexplicably warming to the strange young woman who sewed terrible plushies and for once in his life, he was glad of a bit of friendly company.

He did not know, however, the price he would come to pay for such a luxury in the days to come…

* * *

**Author's Note**

**And it's me again! I'm hoping to keep this updating on a Monday thing going, but we'll see how it goes. With me, you never know. But I am optimistic I can keep updating fairly regularly! **

**This chapter introduces two more of our main characters, Liam and Millie. I had a lot of fun writing Millie's character in particular and I've got a lot planned for her throughout the story's course. The next couple of chapters are mainly character and plot introduction, as unfortunately with a story like this you can't jump into too much action too soon. But we will get into the real meat of it very soon, I promise.**

**As an aside, I had fun with this chapter as a whole, especially the couple of references I hid to previous works of mine. Props to anyone who can pick up on them =) **

**Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed; it really helped boost my confidence and I'm honestly so happy people are still willing to read what I produce. Please leave a review if you can and I'll see you all next chapter! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

The skies were darkening and the air was frigid when Becky boarded the ferry to Solomon Island at Olivine City. The thought of an overnight crossing didn't bother her as much as some of the other trainers, judging by the dribs and drabs of worried conversation she overheard as they waited by the dock. She did however feel sorry for the poor souls that had been trapped on-board since Kanto. Even from Johto to Solomon Island was a ridiculously long journey, but she had come prepared.

She found a quiet spot in the Wartortle Lounge on the top deck and unpacked her tiny blue laptop, her pride and joy. Much to her delight, she discovered free WiFi available on-board and she smiled in quiet satisfaction. She checked her emails, blogs and various social networks religiously for some time, knowing she only needed to waste away a few hours before she could disappear to one of the cabins to sleep once it got late.

While clicking idly around on the PC summary screen she noticed there was a disk in her laptop's disk drive. She popped it open and found the first disk of one of her favourite television shows, _Our Father. _It was a show that had been popular when she was young and had been a favourite of her grandfather's. It was a rather silly premise, a comedy show about a cynical priest who ended up the caretaker of a mischievous baby Arceus. She couldn't even remember the last time she had watched the program and it was a complete mystery to her how the DVD had ended up in her laptop. Shrugging it off, she booted it up.

She was instantly transfixed by the ludicrous tales of the bad-tempered Father Todd trying to conceal the baby Arceus from fellow priests Father John, a decrepit alcoholic, and the mindlessly stupid Father Damon. Father Todd's already difficult situation was made all the more worse by the baby Arceus's discovery that it had incredible powers and subsequently its insistence to use said powers to cause trouble every waking moment. The first catastrophe came when the baby Arceus caught a cold and every time it sneezed, managed to revert everything in the parish kitchen back to its basest form. Tables and chairs became trees and the hunk of juicy steak in the fridge became a living breathing Miltank right in front of a despairing Father Todd's eyes.

She was so enraptured by the program that she was blind to anything else happening around her. As such, when a commotion sparked up when she was midway through the third episode, she remained oblivious. A young woman who carried around a Delibird like a newborn child had fallen asleep and the Delibird, seeing an opportunity, had quickly wriggled free from her grasp. It didn't take long for the Pokémon to cause havoc, bouncing across the sofas, scattering cushions and squawking like it was in some sort of distress. Several trainers pounced on the excitable Pokémon but it was surprisingly fast and managed to evade them for several minutes, almost scalding a steward serving hot drinks by the time it was restrained and dumped back into its trainer's lap.

The young woman who had eventually caught the Delibird easily towered above its trainer and she narrowed her steely blue eyes accusingly. "What's the matter with you? You need to keep a better watch on your Pokémon. What are you even doing here if you can't even do something that simple?"

The Delibird's trainer was a petite little thing with olive skin, curly black hair and a rounded face but she proved surprisingly intimidating as she pushed herself to her feet and squared up to the other woman.

"Why don't you keep your goddamn nose out of my business?" she hissed, hints of an exotic accent clinging to her words. "If you've got nothing better to do than wander around looking like you've got a six foot pole rammed up your arse and making other people feel small, you ought to re-evaluate your life a little."

"Ooooh, burn…!" someone whispered in awe from the back, causing a splutter of laughter to ripple through the lounge.

With the room still reeling, the Delibird's trainer turned on her heel and strode straight out of the lounge. The other woman watched her retreating back, a hint of a smile tugging at her lips. Her companions, childhood friends Blaire and Madison, trotted over to her side, feeling self-conscious at the many pairs of eyes on them.

"Well. That one's a firecracker,"

"She sure is, Ana," Blaire murmured, still in shock.

"I wonder what her problem is," Madison huffed, crossing her arms. "That was just totally uncool, you know? Who _does _that? It's not like you did anything wrong, you just told her to keep an eye on her Pokémon."

"And if she can't do that, then she shouldn't be here." Blaire chipped in defiantly.

Blaire and Madison chattered blithely on as the room gradually returned to its normal atmosphere. Ana gathered the thick strands of her tawny hair and secured it into a tight ponytail. "Girls. I need you to do me a favour."

Blaire and Madison stopped at once.

"Go after that girl, alright? Tell her I want a battle with her."

"A battle?"

"Yes, a battle. You know, that thing that trainers _do, _Blaire. God!" She sighed dramatically, rolling her eyes. "Look, just go before you lose her."

At Ana's command, the two girls disappeared promptly. Satisfied, Ana sat down and waited for their return.

* * *

If there was a level to the tolerance of idiocy that one person could take, Gloria would have been at least ten miles over that line. The majority of it was caused by the stupid people that swarmed the decks of the ship like clouds of buzzing insects. She couldn't spend five minutes alone without being approached by strangers for some reason or another. Mostly it was offers for trades and battles. She had no interest in changing up a team she had spent the better part of ten years training and perfecting and neither did she want to waste time battling anyone she didn't need to. Battling wasn't the reason they were all here, after all. Yet, these trainers seemed to be a specific brand of idiocy, the stubborn kind that never took 'no' for an answer. Her least favourite type of person.

She realised too late she had wandered near the reinforced battleground on-deck. She instantly regretted it. The air was thick and hot, punctured with the cries of Pokémon and the victory screeches of their trainers. The noise was unbearably painful, like someone had just plunged a knife into her ear.

She moved away quickly and paused at the edge of the deck to gather her thoughts. Running her hand through her tightly curled hair, a deep sigh escaped her. Her entire body felt stiff and sore and she cast her tired mind across the ocean to a place that wasn't the cruise liner. She gazed beyond the curling waves that shone beneath the ship's hull. The liner glided across the ocean's top effortlessly, so much so that she couldn't feel a single sway or rock underneath them. The wind was gentle, whispering across her face and cooling her from the warm night. While she was willing to admit the scenery was enjoyable and the ferry itself luxurious, making this crossing was the last thing she wanted to do.

"Hey!"

It took her a few minutes to realise the voice hollering from across the deck was actually for her. When she to face it, she saw two girls she only vaguely recognised. Her eye visibly twitched. "What do you want?"

"Our friend Anastasia wants to battle with you."

"Who?"

"The girl you called out in front of the entire Wartortle lounge."

The Delibird at her side began squawking again and she swiftly scooped him up and held him to her chest. "Alright, fair enough. But why can't this Anastasia come and ask me herself?"

"W-well…" the first girl stammered. "She's… uh…"

"As I thought." The girl with the Delibird laughed, tickling her Pokémon under its chin. The Delibird purred loudly in appreciation. "Look, you tell Anastasia that if she wants to battle me she can come here herself and ask me. I don't have the patience for little girls who send out other little girls to do her dirty work. Alright?"

Both Anastasia's friends recoiled while the Delibird trainer smiled pleasantly. She marched past them, holding her head high. She put a short distance between them before turning back. "And in case she does grow a pair, my name's Gloria Soto. Tell her she can look me up later if she really wants to."

Gloria turned on her heel and smartly marched away. The other two girls looked at each other in bemusement, which quickly turned to worry, before wordlessly turning back towards the Wartortle lounge. They found Anastasia sprawled across one of the dark blue sofas deep in conversation with a young man they hadn't seen before. They approached her cautiously.

"Um, Ana?"

"What do you want?" Anastasia didn't look up at her two friends.

"That girl you wanted to battle? Well… she… that is… um…"

"Oh shut up, Madison, you sound gormless." Anastasia waved her hand dismissively. "I don't care about her anymore."

The man beside Anastasia looked up through long strands of sandy blonde hair. His eyes were a rich brown, like tree bark, but deep-set and frequently darting back and forth. "What's this about?" he asked, his voice soft and honey-sweet. "Which girl is this?"

"Just some bitch." Anastasia shrugged. "Doesn't matter anymore. Sit down, you two, you're making the place look untidy."

The two girls sat down obediently. Anastasia was animated; chatting incessantly to the man but doing little to involve Blaire and Madison. "So, where are you from again, Andrew?"

"Originally? Camphrier Town, in Kalos. I've been living in Ecruteak City for the past couple of years, though."

Anastasia nodded slowly. "Ecruteak? My ex-boyfriend lived in Ecruteak once. Said it was a pretty boring place."

"Your ex-boyfriend doesn't know what he's talking about, then. Ecruteak is a great place. Sure there's a lot of culture there and it's pretty old-fashioned, but I really like it."

"My ex wasn't exactly what you'd call 'cultured'." Anastasia said with a dry chuckle. "He actually wasn't much of anything, in fact."

Andrew cleared his throat loudly. "So… what made you decide to come all this way?"

"Something to do, really." Anastasia said. "Not much you _can _do after getting bored of gym circuits and leagues."

"And what about you two? Blaire, Madison, was it?"

"Same reason, really." Blaire stammered, not expecting to be addressed.

"Yeah." Madison nodded. "I know I haven't done much in the way of training ever since I won the Johto League, so getting back into it seemed a pretty good idea."

"You won the Johto league?"

"Yep," A rare smile touched on Madison's face.

"We've _all _won leagues." Anastasia intercepted quickly. "I've won three, in fact."

"I just won one." Blaire added, but went largely ignored.

"Very impressive calibre of people on-board, then." Andrew looked around the Wartortle lounge which, by now, was slowly emptying of people as the night drew in.

"Apparently so," Anastasia leant back in her seat and stretched her long limbs with a satisfied groan. "I'm not entirely convinced yet,"

"Don't be so quick to dismiss anyone, though." Andrew smiled wryly. "They may just surprise you."

"Don't get me wrong, I'm used to people surprising me. Just not in a good way…" Anastasia muttered.

An uneasy silence fell. Blaire and Madison shifted uncomfortably in their seats, knowing exactly what their friend alluded to but reluctant to say any more. The conversation eventually resumed after several awkward minutes but it was stilted and stale. Bad conversation blamed on travel exhaustion, the small group made their excuses and left for the sleeper cabins.

The velvet of night snuck in quickly and silence soon fell on-board the _Gemini Dreamer. _The liner coasted through the black waves, effortlessly carrying its load of slumbering trainers closer to Solomon Island, a place which many trainers had found themselves contemplating in the hazy moments between being awake and being asleep. Of course, it was not all peaceful on board the luxury vessel. One trainer lingered at the railings of the highest deck, maintaining a lonely vigil of the scattering of stars above her head. The wind teased the locks of her violet hair, freshly dyed, ruffling it like the affections of a doting grandparent. She did not move for hours.

She was not the only one for whom sleep was unattainable. Liam Coleman lay awake and uncomfortable in the top bunk of a rather unstable bunkbed in one of the shared cabins. Underneath him, in the far comfier bed, Millie breathed deeply and slowly. He questioned, and not for the first time, the series of events that had led up to this. It wasn't enough she had ambushed him and practically adopted him as her travelling companion, she had been adamant on them sharing a room for whatever reason. Perhaps she didn't like sleeping alone, perhaps she just liked the company, he neither knew nor cared anymore. He had learned by now that shutting up and letting Millie get on with whatever craziness she wanted was a much easier solution than opposing her. She'd gone to bed with a plush Jumpluff doll and had fallen asleep mid-sentence telling him about another plushie she wanted to sew. Before they went to bed, she had warned him about her tendency to snore due to some childhood asthma that flared up on occasion, but she had neglected to mention something else. Sleep-talking. Which had been constant since the moment she dropped off to sleep.

"Dude, you sword fight like a Miltank farmer."

Liam stared up at the white ceiling and prayed for daylight.

"Hey… hey, hey… do you think Ducklett know they're Ducklett?"

"What?" he grumbled, rolling over onto his side. "What Ducklett?"

"Any Ducklett! Do you think they know what they are?"

"What do you think _you _are?"

"… I'm Zubatman."

Liam felt he could have laughed where it not almost four o'clock in the morning and they would be arriving on the island in four hours. He covered his head with the cushion and attempted to blot out his companion's muffled sleep talk. He supposed it could be worse. She could be a sleepwalker, after all, he mused, shutting his heavy eyes and finally slipping into a deep slumber.

Daylight peaked. Sunlight danced on the waves that caressed the ship's hull as it glided onwards. Gloria was one of the first to welcome the morning's warm embrace as she stepped out onto the top deck, munching an apple. The smell of salt was thick and Wingull soared overhead in swarms that scattered and regrouped as if they all shared a single mind. Gloria watched them transfixed, her Delibird clinging to her ankles.

The ship soon became noisy with eager conversation as the cabins woke up. Cafeterias and restaurants were mobbed with those eager for cooked breakfasts and the smell of fat and grease did little to settle the stomachs of those suffering from seasickness. At Anastasia's table in _The Krabby Oyster Bar _on the second deck, Andrew looked slightly green at the prospect of the bagel with smoked salmon and cream cheese the girls had insisted he try. Fish had never been a favourite of his, but not wanting to admit to a weak stomach, he forced it down nonetheless. It turned out to be a bad move and he spent the rest of the morning bent over a toilet as his body violently expelled the offensive breakfast.

"_Attention ladies and gentleman, this is your captain speaking._" The announcement came without warning as the time edged closer towards 8am. "_We are due to arrive at the Solomon Island port in approximately fifteen minutes. All passengers should ensure they gather all their belongings and are ready to disembark the ship from the designated departure areas on Decks 1 and 2. Thank you very much for choosing to sail with us and, as always, have a pleasant day._"

Millie, who had been starting out at the lapping waves for the past five minutes while she waited for Liam to finish his breakfast, leapt up in her seat and pointed at something in the distance. "Look!"

She wasn't the only one to see it. A surge of trainers rushed to the windows and the outside decks to get a better look. In the distance, they could see land. It was faint at first, just a mere blot on the horizon, but soon they were chugging alongside it and turning in towards the docks.

"There it is, Noel," Gloria said, from her position alone on the third deck. Her Delibird, waddling around in circles a few feet away, ignored her as the ship manoeuvred itself into position at the port.

"_Ladies and gentleman. Welcome to Solomon Island."_

* * *

**Author's Note**

**Hi guys! Sorry I'm almost a week late with this one, I've had dissertation responsibilities and stuff to sort out all week. That and I was going to update yesterday, but my flatmate and her boyfriend insisted we all drink wine and spend the entire night listening to cheesy pop songs. You know, as you do. **

**So, relatively short chapter, not too much happening here, just more characters to be introduced. Every character will have an important part to play as things move onwards and it will all culminate together, don't worry. Hope you've liked these new characters and enjoyed what more you've learned of the existing ones. Next chapter will be the start of the seminar, so things will get interesting once again, I hope. **

**Big thanks to everyone who has reviewed this last chapter, your support continues to mean the world to me. I'll try not to be as late with the next one as I was with this one =) Thank you, guys! Read and review if you can!**


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